The aftermath
by Megannnn123
Summary: Nikki's feelings and thoughts during and after the horrific events of 'Greater Love'
1. Chapter 1

Hello again; basically this is gonna be a couple of chapters based on the awful events of 'Greater Love' if it's a bit jumpy I'm sorry it's the way my mind is working and functioning at the moment. Yeah please leave a review if you've read this even if you think its rubbish. After reading everyone else's amazing fanfics based on Leo's dramatic and truly devastating leaving scene this will probably be in the rubbish pile of writing

**Disclaimer: I'm taking this opportunity to tell you that the characters names which are used in this fanfic do not belong to me in actual fact they belong to the BBC. If they belonged to me Harry and Nikki would of been together and Leo would never of had such a dramatic leaving episode **

**The aftermath**

Hungary and Afghanistan two of the many places and bad experiences you wanted to put to the back of your mind and never pull out again, you wanted to lock them away like personal information stored about a member of the public in the Lyell Centre who was cruelly taken early by a mad man murderer.

You really could say you've had many 'life experiences' in the past few weeks, months and even years. You could even go as far as saying you've honestly had just about enough of them. First Harry's near death experience now Leo's fatal encounter with a suicide bomber. Both of your rocks and close family members have left you, left you all alone with no one. No one who knows you well enough to trust.

After that dreadful day in Afghanistan which just happened to be yesterday you couldn't help but wonder if Leo was truly happy, truly happy to accept the mission of going out to Afghanistan to solve a case. Had he really found love with an aid worker he had only just met? Was he actually prepared to make that one giant step and take her back to London? Back to his home? Back to reality? You truly didn't know what to think, you had thought he was ready but really how could he be? You remembered the accident of his wife and daughter like it was just yesterday he had told you. They were sat in a cafe one day after school drinking tea and eating cake just to have a car come ploughing through the window killing them almost instantly.

The suicide bomber had chosen his subject; he had also decided where he was going to detonate the bomb. The one thing he hadn't thought about (you don't think he even cared about this or wasn't even going to consider another body beside the subject) was Leo. Professor Leo Dalton the man who risked his own life on so many occasions to save other people's forgetting he had a life of his own which he also needed to protect.

The plane journey back to London was dreadful, probably worse than you would of liked. Having told Jack to catch the next plane he could home, you had wanted to spend the last precious seconds with Leo; your mentor and life coach talking to him about everything and anything and how you were going to miss him greatly. You were also asking how you were going to cope alone, with Jack. You had only known him for what felt like two seconds now it was gonna be you and him facing the world alone.

You were sat there on the plane, cargo carrier aircraft with what remained of Leo in the dull and dreary cardboard coffin. You couldn't even face looking at it so you spent the majority of the journey with your eyes closed only opening them to let the tears silently fall down your face. How could he have done this to you? Why had he just done this? Left you all alone, something he said he wouldn't do ever. You wanted him there, beside you, comforting you and being your sholder to cry on. You wanted the dream team back. Harry, Leo and yourself, the dream team would never happen again, not in a million years. While on the plane you kept thinking of the times YOU needed HIM and HE needed YOU taking the guess that this last time he needed to face the world alone, with no one's help making his own decisions. Even if you didn't want to think of it like that he was in a better place now with no worries and no regrets with the comfort of his wife and daughter by his side.

You wanted someone to hold, someone to comfort you on this long journey back. You wanted someone you couldn't have, someone who was the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Someone you just hadn't had to courage to pick up the phone and inform him of his old bosses' death. Shit, this was the first thing you needed to do when you arrived back in London, at your flat.

You kept thinking about the Lyell; how it's changed so much in the space of a couple of years even over the last couple of months. Changes of which you didn't want to witness happening. I guess that's just the way life goes, tearing whole families apart with natural disasters, illnesses and idiots who wanted to cause harm to other innocent people that just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Arriving back in London on your own was something you really weren't looking forward too. The flight was an emotional one just you, the coffin and silence. What remained of Leo was taken off the plane before you were allowed to leave and stored in a mortuary until you had the time and energy to arrange the funeral.

There were a couple more things you needed to do which you had carefully considered on your list of things to do this consisted of; ringing Janet to tell her the news, clearing out his office and desk and calling Harry before he found out from newspaper articles in the paper or news programmes broadcasted on the TV.

Plucking up the courage to talk, email or even Skype Harry was the hardest thing to find inside you. You really wanted to tell him but since he had moved to New York your conversations had been few and far between. So without anymore hesitation you typed the number Leo had given you to contact Harry and pressed the call button..

There will probably only be two more chapters on here. One with Nikki telling Harry the news and the other one where his funeral takes place. Please could you tell me if the story is any good and if it isn't tell me what I could do to improve it? I would also like to ask if you have any ideas of how I could plan out the funeral chapter. Reviews will help me write quicker so please hit the review button below and write in the box

Megan xx


	2. Chapter 2

**The aftermath chapter 2**

**Thanks for the lovely reviews guys I have received for this story so far. So glad you all like it. Here is the telephone call chapter like I promised. I tried to make it as realistic as possible I don't know if that happened here, it may be a little emotional, angsty. I don't really get how to write speech parts of a story so I may have changed format half way through the conversation- if that happens please forgive me. Oh and there are a few swear words in this chapter, Harry's initial reactions...**

**Sorry for the slow update for this as well, time got the better of me being college and everything yeah, hopefully you all still want this chapter. I promise the next chapter will be more eventful and they are finally reunited so **

"_Plucking up the courage to talk, email or even Skype Harry was the hardest thing to find inside you. You really wanted to tell him but since he had moved to New York your conversations had been few and far between. So without anymore hesitation you typed the number Leo had given you to contact Harry and pressed the call button..."_

You were sat there wondering how the conversation with him was going to go. You hadn't even planned how you were going to tell him, how long you were going to be on the phone for and most importantly how you would feel emotionally if he actually accepted the telephone call and began talking to you. What if he didn't accept? How would you tell him then? Emails? Letters? It didn't seem right.

One, two, three, four rings... He couldn't have totally forgotten about you, could he? You wanted to hang up, run away and dig a hole where you could stay forever but before you even had a chance to consider your actions you began to hear a different sound on the other end of the phone. Lots of rummaging, people speaking and machines beeping.

Here goes you thought; it's all or nothing. What's in it too loose?

'Hello, Harry Cunningham. How can I be of your assistance?' you heard on the other end of the phone. His voice sent shivers down your spine into every part of your body. Just hearing his voice made you want him there, beside you helping you, holding you, being your shoulder to cry on.

'Hello Harry; it's me. Nikki' you managed to say. Where these five words came from you don't know. You felt more relaxed, more stable having him on the line, having a friendly voice to speak too actually began to clam your nerves.

'Niks' came the response on the other end of the line. His voice seemed to increase its volume as if hearing your voice had brought the life back into him that was taken all those many months ago when he had left. 'How are you? How's Leo?' _Leo_, just hearing his name made you want to break down in tears.

'Errm, I could be better, I could be calling you in a better or even under a better circumstance but I have some terrible news' you began to say, feeling every emotion come flooding back to you during the terrible events of Hungary, how you had felt when Leo had broken the news to you, this time it was all too real, instead you were breaking the heartbreaking news to him. 'I don't know how to say this but...' you began before breaking into uncontrollable sobs.

'Nikki, spit it out; it can't be that bad what is it?' Harry spoke with concern. How could you be telling him this over the phone?

'It's Leo, errm I don't know how to say it but well he's dead Harry, he's no longer here amongst the living' was your response.

'Shit. How? When? Why?'

'The other day we went out to Afghanistan; Leo, Jack and myself. We were working on a case...' you didn't have a chance to finish what you were about to say as Harry had began to but in.

'Why were you in fucking Afghanistan? You know that place is bloody dangerous. Are the news stories not enough of all the injured soldiers? What if all of you had been injured? How would I of coped then? Who would of fucking told me about it? I'd have to hear it on the news. How can this be fucking happening Nikki?!' Harry began to cry at this point, you couldn't even comfort him. You couldn't even cope with hearing him cry, not even in front of you, but hearing it on the phone was even worse. Telling him everything would be ok and you were coping wasn't going to be an option was it this time round?

Taking a massive gulp of breath you began again trying your hardest not to let the emotions show. In the end it just became too much... Since Harry was crying you could cry too right? 'It was a case Harry. We were asked to bring the remains of a solider home after analysing them to see what had happened, how he was killed. It wasn't even him Harry; the soldier's brother was still alive and walking around we had spent our time looking at the remains of another person- a member of the Taliban.'

'Yes but that doesn't exactly tell me how Leo died Nikki. What did he do? Did he put himself in danger? WHAT DID HE FUCKING DO, NIKKI TELL ME!' Harry's voice began to increase in volume. You didn't know how to react to it. You just jumped out of your skin and replied:

'The Taliban. They planted a bomb on the soldier's brother he was wearing it; they had the detonator button Harry. Leo saved everyone's lives then went and took the full impact with the brother trying to protect him from dying' the rate of your crying and sobs began to increase again. You really weren't ready for Harry's next question.

'How are you even coping Nikki?' Harry asked. His tone was much lower now, he was really concerned about you, you could tell through his voice.

'I don't know Harry, I really don't know. I can't sleep because whenever I close my eyes all I see is the explosion, I can't even eat properly.. I'm scared Harry. Truly scared. I don't know what to do...' You couldn't keep it all to yourself anymore. He was bound to find out sooner or later whether you told him or not, he would get it out of you.

'I've been an utter bastard coming out here leaving you two there, at home all alone. Now you've got no one, absolutely no one. That's it I'm quitting my job here and heading back home, back to London; I'm coming to support you. I really have screwed up with the whole poxy leaving idea' Harry replied. You really wasn't expecting him to say this. So you sat there and cried, even more. He's used to your emotions even if he hasn't been around for months.

'Please do Harry. Don't quit your job Harry; I thought you liked it?' you said, this was the first time you truly felt like he was there to support you. You could hear Harry typing away at a keyboard and clicking something with a mouse was he at his computer? You instantly thought he was at work, his 'new office'- booking a flight back to the place he left those many months ago.

'I've just booked a flight for tomorrow morning Niks; I'll be back with you soon. It says I'll be with you and arriving back in London that very evening. Hold on in there, I will be with you and the thing is. Well I've never really liked my job, I've missed you too much. I really have...' and with that said he had hung up leaving the line dead, leaving you once again alone, with your thoughts to keep you company.

**Once again I am really sorry I didn't update this sooner, I'll upload the next funeral chapter at some point hopefully not two/ three years in the future.. Please leave me some reviews I'd appreciate it **

**Megan xx**


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